Zhou Yan grunted, continuing to swing his battle sword and slay the corpse worms.
"Roar..."
A deafening roar suddenly erupted from the horde of corpse worms. A ferocious and hideous Corpse King emerged, leading thousands upon thousands of corpse worms and launching an assault, blocking Zhou Yan's path.
In an instant, Zhou Yan was in peril, his situation precarious, on the verge of being devoured by the corpse worms and dying without a burial place.
"Damn human, did you think you could escape?"
The Corpse King sneered, taking a step forward. His colossal body, like a moving mountain, instantly appeared beside Zhou Yan.
Bang!
He raised his hand and slapped Zhou Yan's shoulder. His strong and powerful arm, imbued with immense power, sent Zhou Yan flying backward, crashing into the grass several meters away, spitting blood profusely.
"These corpse worms are too troublesome. I must find a way to lure them away, or I'll be worn down and die here soon."
Zhou Yan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and struggled to get up.
He knew that the only way to escape danger was to lure away the Corpse King and buy himself more precious time.
"Hmm, why didn't I think of that?"
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "I can use my blood to lure the Corpse King to a certain location, then let it fight with other corpse worms. It's best if they both suffer heavy losses, and I can take advantage of the situation to snatch back the corpse core. This way, I will have completed the mission and successfully passed the trial."
With this thought, he immediately took out a dagger and cut his fingertip. Drip, drip, his crimson blood flowed out.
The Corpse King was extremely sensitive to the smell of blood. Seeing Zhou Yan bleeding, it became instantly excited, baring its fangs and claws, lunging at Zhou Yan, ready to tear him apart and devour him.
"Now's the time."
Zhou Yan's eyes flickered, and he immediately turned and ran.
The Corpse King indeed followed.
A smile of triumph appeared on Zhou Yan's face as he fled continuously towards the northwest.
After a moment, Zhou Yan stopped at the foot of a towering snow-capped peak.
Behind him, the Corpse King pursued relentlessly, its aura fierce and its body exuding a chilling coldness.
"Corpse King, since you're seeking death, I can only oblige," Zhou Yan murmured.
Rumble~~
Suddenly, violent fluctuations emanated from all directions.
Thick vines shot down from the sky, densely binding the Corpse King and trapping it. Furthermore, towering ancient trees sprang from the ground, forming a cage that sealed off all of the Corpse King's escape routes.
"Roar, release this King..."
The Corpse King roared repeatedly, struggling frantically.
However, these vines were exceptionally tough and heavy, making it impossible to break free. Instead, they tightened, causing immense pain.
The Corpse King roared in anger, desperately twisting its head to try and bite through the vines, but it was of no avail.
These vines were exchanged by Zhou Yan from his system backpack. They possessed extraordinary attributes and were incredibly tough; even with blades or axes, they might not be damaged.
Snap!
The vines cracked and turned into fine debris.
"Roar, I will kill you."
The Corpse King was furious, its eyes blood red.
Its rage was boundless, and it did not hesitate to burn its life essence to activate the hidden energy within its body.
In an instant, its figure flickered, transforming into several blurry afterimages. Its speed was as swift as lightning.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The Corpse King's speed was incredibly astonishing. Before Zhou Yan could even react, three of its arms simultaneously slashed at him.
Three sharp pains struck, and Zhou Yan cried out, his chest caving in.
"Roar..."
The Corpse King roared as if venting its frustration, its eyes filled with bloodthirsty killing intent.
This was the first time it had encountered an enemy of this caliber, one that could withstand its nearly unstoppable sharpness and still survive stubbornly after being injured. It was simply incomprehensible.
Swish!
In the brief moment the Corpse King was stunned, Zhou Yan seized an opening, drew his dagger, and ruthlessly stabbed it into the Corpse King's forehead.
Squelch!
The Corpse King's forehead was pierced by the sharp dagger, and crimson blood flowed out.
It roared continuously, its body stiffening, and its body gradually losing warmth.
The Corpse King perished!
Zhou Yan let out a long sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He felt lingering fear, having almost died.
The recent battle, though brief, had been a fight for survival. A slight misstep and he would have likely died at the hands of the Corpse King.
"Corpse King, you too have a day like this..." Zhou Yan murmured.
This Corpse King had cultivated to become a Corpse King, possessing strong intelligence and memory. It could even speak human language, making it exceptionally clever and powerful, a true prodigy among its peers.
Yet, such a monstrous expert had still fallen by his hand. This was enough to prove his own formidable strength.
"The bloodline quality of the Corpse King is quite good. If I could absorb it, my physical body's strength would definitely increase significantly, reaching the peak of the early stage of Bone Quenching." Zhou Yan licked his lips, contemplating inwardly.
Corpse Kings were powerful Corpse race beings rarely seen in a century.
The Corpse race was born from corpses. Every century, only one such being could emerge, with astonishing talent and strength far surpassing martial artists of the same level.
"Unfortunately, the Corpse King's bloodline power has already merged with the corpse core. Even if I obtain it, I cannot absorb it," Zhou Yan shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice.
He had now advanced to the Bone Quenching realm, his bloodline had undergone a transformation, and he possessed a storage ring.
A storage ring was a powerful magical artifact that could store items. The higher its level, the more precious and valuable the items it could store.
Zhou Yan's storage ring was of ordinary quality, with a limit of storing one ton of food.
Not long after, Zhou Yan took out dry rations from his storage ring and began to chew them silently.
This was a secluded canyon. There was nothing growing nearby, and there were few wild beasts. Therefore, he dared to hunt Corpse Kings and devour their corpse cores without reservation.
Gulp!
He swallowed a piece of dry ration, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it.
Instantly, his stomach swelled as if a raging fire was burning in his abdomen.
Sizzle, sizzle~~
Strands of peculiar energy rapidly spread, integrating into his skin, bones, and tendons, finally gathering in his dantian.
"Hoo..."
Zhou Yan exhaled a breath of turbid air and slowly circulated the "Chaos Hegemony Body Art," refining the power of the corpse core and integrating it into his physical body.
"This corpse core contains dense corpse energy, much purer than spirit stones," Zhou Yan mused. "According to the description in the 'Chaos Hegemony Body Art,' the energy within this corpse core is enough for me to cultivate for five to six days. If I can continuously devour them, I estimate I can achieve complete mastery of the 'Chaos Hegemony Body Art' within half a month."
"The effect of this corpse core is so miraculous. No wonder Corpse Kings can easily kill martial artists of the Martial Master level."
Zhou Yan thought to himself.
Corpse cores could help human powerhouses enhance their cultivation and advance their realm.
Not only that, but they could also increase lifespan and accelerate a martial artist's cultivation speed by several times.